Kurzweil Forte User manual

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GETTING STARTED GUIDE
This guide will help you hook up the Forte to your sound system and MIDI system, give you
a quick overview, and show you how to start playing music with the Forte. A full manual for
the Forte can be obtained in electronic format from www.kurzweil.com.
Specications
Forte is Kurzweil’s new 128 voice stage piano featuring FlashPlay technology. The Forte
is Kurzweil’s most advanced stage piano to date. Some of the key specications and
improvements over Kurzweil’s previous stage piano’s include:
• New FlashPlay technology.
• Support for up to 16GB of Sound ROM.
• Two new high denition pianos.
• New high denition electric pianos.
• Improved modelled organ emulation.
• More effects resources.
• 4.3” 480x272 pixel color display.
• High speed USB ports.
• New improved user interface design.
®
It’s the
sound
.
®
™
©2014 Young Chang Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Kurzweil® is a product line of Young Chang Co., Ltd. Kurzweil®, Young
Chang®, V. A. S. T.®, Forte™, and FlashPlay™ are trademarks of Young Chang Co., Ltd. All other trademarks and copyrights are
property of their respective companies. Product features and specications are subject to change without notice.
U.S. Patents 6,806,413, 6,978,288, 8,263,849
You may legally print up to two (2) copies of this document for personal use. Commercial use of any copies of this document is
prohibited. Young Chang Co. retains ownership of all intellectual property represented by this document.
Part Number 910565-001 Rev. A
Forte™

Before You Start…
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Before You Start…
Don’t connect anything until you make sure the Forte is properly and safely situated. If your
Forte keyboard has been out in the cold, give it time to warm up to room temperature before
starting it, since condensation may have formed inside.
Setting up the Forte
1. Set the keyboard on a hard, at, level surface.
2. Four adhesive-backed rubber feet are provided with Forte. Carefully turn the keyboard
over onto a soft surface, remove the paper backing from the rubber feet and attach them.
NOTE : Unless the instrument will always be used with a keyboard stand,
attachment of the rubber feet is strongly advised. Otherwise protruding
screws may scratch the tabletop.
3. Connect the AC power cord to the Forte. Before plugging the cable into the power outlet,
check that the power is compatible with the Forte. The Forte runs on AC power and
works with voltages from 100-240 volts at 50–60 Hz. The voltage level is detected and set
automatically by the Forte. If your power source does not have the standard three hole
outlet, you should take the time to install a proper grounding system. This will reduce the
risk of a shock. If your power outlet is not within these ranges it is recommended you use
an appropriate adaptor.
4. Plug the power cable into the wall.
5. Plug the Switch Pedal into the marked SW1 (Sustain) Pedal jack on the Forte rear panel.
6. Connect stereo headphones to the headphone jack on the front left panel, or connect the
audio outputs to your mixer or amplier inputs using standard (1/4-inch) audio cables (use
the Left out for mono). Balanced (“TRS” or “Stereo”) cables are recommended if your
mixer or amp supports balanced inputs.
7. Make sure your sound system is at a safe volume level. Also make sure that the Forte
Master Volume slider (on the far left side of the front panel) is all the way down.

The Rear Panel
Using the Forte
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Using the Forte
1. Power up the Forte using the power switch on the rear left side of the instrument, and
then raise the Master Volume slider, and mixer/amp volume. Your Forte keyboard starts
up in Program Mode by default. Press one of the buttons under the “Mode” label to the
right of the display to switch Modes.
Master Volume Slider Mode Selection
2. If you are connected to a mixing board and hear distortion, reduce the gain level on your
mixing board, or use the pad (a switch that decreases the input audio signal level, typically by 20dB)
if it has one.
3. To hear the capabilities of the Forte, you can play the demo songs. Press the Hybrid and
Misc Category buttons simultaneously to listen to a demo song.
4. In Program Mode, scroll through the Programs using the Alpha Wheel, the Previous and
Next buttons, or press a Category button to audition the sounds in the Forte. The Forte
has short demos for each of the factory Programs. To hear a Program Demo for the
current Program, press the Voices and Mallets Category buttons simultaneously.
The Rear Panel
The power switch and most of the Forte connections are located on the rear panel.

The Rear Panel
The AC Power Jack
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The headphone connection is not on the rear panel. It is located on the front left side of the
Forte for easy access (Underneath the Pitch & Modulation wheels).
The AC Power Jack
Please refer to “Setting up the Forte” on page GS-2.
The USB Ports
Use the “Computer” USB ports to connect the Forte to a computer/tablet in order to do the
following:
• Use the Forte as a MIDI controller to play software instruments on a computer.
• Use a computer program to sequence multitrack songs on the Forte.
• Use a computer/tablet to manage the user data contents of the Forte.
• Update the software and sounds of the Forte.
Use the “Storage” USB Port to store custom Programs and Multis on a USB ash drive.
Be sure to check the Kurzweil Music Systems website at www.kurzweil.com for new
documentation and software updates before using your new instrument.
The MIDI Ports (In / Thru / Out)
Use the MIDI ports to communicate with other MIDI modules and controllers. The Out port
is the MIDI transmitting port, and the In port is the MIDI receiving port. Use the Thru port
to pass MIDI data through the Forte to other instuments or modules.
By sliding the switch on the rear panel from Thru to Out, the Forte sends MIDI Out messages
on both the Thru and Out ports. The USB ports can also be used to transmit MIDI messages.

The Rear Panel
Basic MIDI Port Hookup
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Basic MIDI Port Hookup
To use the Forte as a MIDI controller for another sound module, use a MIDI cable to connect
the MIDI port marked “OUT” to the MIDI input port of the module that you want to control.
To control the Forte using another MIDI controller, use a MIDI cable to connect the MIDI
port marked “IN” to the MIDI output port of the controller that you will be using.
Using Forte MIDI Out Using Forte MIDI In
For other MIDI connection scenarios, please refer to the Forte User Manual.
The Pedal Jacks
Use the ve pedal jacks to connect controller pedals to the Forte.
Although optional Kurzweil pedals are recommended, it is possible to use most switch or
controller pedals that adhere to the following specications.
Switch Pedals 1/4 inch tip-sleeve (mono) plug
Continuous Control
(CC) Pedals
10-kOhm linear-taper potentiometer, 1/4 inch tip-ring-sleeve
(stereo) plug with the wiper connected to the tip.

The Rear Panel
The Pedal Jacks
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Pedals are all independently assignable within each Zone of every Multi.
On the back panel the Pedals are labeled as SWITCH 1/2/3, corresponding to the SW 1/2/3
labelling on the top panel. In this manual the Switch Pedals will be referred to as per the top
panel (SW1, SW2 and SW3)
Here are the default control settings for the ve pedals used by the Forte:
Switch Pedal 1 (SW1) Sustain (MIDI 64)
Switch Pedal 2 (SW2) Sostenuto (MIDI 66)
Switch Pedal 3 (SW3) Soft (MIDI 67)
CC Pedal 1 (CC1) Expression (Volume) (MIDI 11)
CC Pedal 2 (CC2) Foot (MIDI 4)
The SW1 (Sustain), SW2 and SW3 Jacks
Use the pedal jacks to connect switch pedals. A switch pedal is a physical controller typically
used to control two-state (i.e., “on / off ”) parameters, such as sustain, sostenuto, soft and
Mute Zone.
NOTE : Do not to step on the switch pedals when powering up the Forte,
as the state of the pedal is detected as part of the power up sequence.

The Rear Panel
The Pedal Jacks
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The Forte supports a single switch pedal or half-damper pedal on each of the SW1, SW2 and
SW3 jacks.
NOTE : It is not recommended to plug CC pedals into the SW inputs.
Due to the exible switch pedal support, CC pedals may not operate
as expected in these inputs.
If you are not using a Kurzweil switch pedal, make sure it’s connected before you turn on
the Forte. This ensures that the pedal will work properly (it might function in reverse—off
when it’s down and on when it’s up—if you turn on your Forte before plugging in the pedal).
Similarly, don’t press any of your switch pedals while powering up, as the Forte veries each
pedal’s orientation during power-up. If you’re pressing a pedal, you might cause it to work in
reverse.
Connecting a Dual Switch Pedal
You can connect a dual switch pedal with a single stereo plug, such as the Kurzweil
KFP-2S, into the SW1 and SW2 jacks. You will need a Y adapter with a stereo ¼-inch jack and
two mono ¼-inch plugs. Plug the Y adapter into the SW1 and SW2 jacks, then connect the
dual switch pedal to the Y adapter. If the Sustain and Sostenuto functions are swapped, then
swap the two mono plugs.
If you’re not familiar with traditional piano technique, the sostenuto (center) pedal on a grand
piano allows one to hold chords in the bass while continuing to play the melody without the
latter notes sustaining. Any keys that are down when you depress the pedal will sustain when
you let go of the keys, but new notes played afterward will not be sustained. Releasing the
pedal puts things back to normal. Of course it can be programmed to do other functions as
well.

The Rear Panel
The Pedal Jacks
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The CC1 (Volume) and CC2 Jacks
Use the CC pedal jacks to connect continuous control (or CC) pedals. A CC pedal is a physical
controller typically used to control multi-state (i.e., “continuous”) parameters such as volume
or wah.
The Kurzweil CC-1 continuous control pedal will work best with Forte, but it is also possible
to use some third-party continuous control pedals designed for synthesizers.
NOTE : Only CC pedals should be connected to the CC pedal input.

Connecting to Your Audio System
The Audio Jacks (A & B Audio Outputs)
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The Audio Jacks (A & B Audio Outputs)
Please refer to “Connecting to Your Audio System” below.
The Headphones Jack
Use the Headphones jack to listen to the Forte on stereo headphones. The headphone jack is
located at the front left of the instrument, under the Pitch & Modulation wheels.
You will need a 1/4-inch-to-1/8-inch adapter in order to use headphones that have a smaller
mini plug connector.
Connecting to Your Audio System
After you’ve turned down the level on your sound system, connect the Forte analog audio
outputs to your sound system using a pair of balanced (TRS or “stereo”) or unbalanced (TS or
“mono”) audio cables. Unbalanced cables will always work, but if you’re going into balanced
inputs, use balanced cables for a better signal-to-noise ratio and a bit more volume. The Forte
analog outputs are balanced.
You’ll nd four 1/4-inch balanced audio output jacks on the rear panel, the “A” Audio Output
pair and the “B” Output pair. Connect one end of each audio cable to your mixing board or PA
system inputs, and connect the other end to the “A” Audio Output jacks marked Left (Mono)
and Right on the rear panel of the Forte. If you have only one input available, use the Forte’s
Left (Mono) output to get the full signal in mono. Use the jack marked Headphones (located
on the front/left of the instrument) to listen to Forte on headphones. When headphones are
plugged in, sound still comes through the Left and Right audio jacks.
Forte connected to powered speakers and headphones
“A” AUDIO OUTPUTS

Connecting to a Computer
The Headphones Jack
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Forte connected to a mixer, powered speakers and headphones
“A” AUDIO OUTPUTS
Connecting to a Computer
To connect the Forte to a computer/tablet, simply connect the Forte using the provided or
compatible cable.
If you wish to use your own cable, make sure that it is a Type-A-to-Type-B USB cable (the
USB port of Forte being Type B). By default, the Forte will act as a MIDI controller (rather
than a hard drive) when connected to a computer.
NOTE : Some devices like the iPad® will require you to purchase
adaptors to connect a USB cable.